It was a relatively quick rise to fame for local star Steve Matz. The lifelong Mets fan has had the opportunity to pitch for his hometown team since 2015 and has represented Ward Melville proudly.

Matz, a former Newsday Long Island Player of the Year and Yastrzemski Award winner as the top baseball player in Suffolk County, made his big league debut in June 2015 and was part of the Mets team that won a National League championship and played in the World Series. Not bad for his first glimpse into the majors.

As of April 2017, Matz is 13-8 with a 3.16 ERA for his career. He has one of the highly valued arms in an arsenal of Mets pitchers expected to lead the team over the next few years.